Citing the recent direct service of Emirates airlines to Seattle, the minister said the launch of the new service and delivery of Boeing aircraft has clear eco­nomic benefits and will serve to create and sustain jobs and generate commerce between the US and the UAE.

Last month Emirates started its daily non-stop service from Dubai to Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, which aims to support local business in Seat­tle/Tacoma and create and sustain jobs in the state of Washington. Not only is Seattle the sixth US destination for Emirates airlines, but the real feather in the US-UAE’s trade cap is the delivery of the 1000th Boeing 777 aircraft to the Dubai-based airlines.

Indeed, the UAE and the state of Washington have shared a rich exchange of goods and ideas in the areas of aero­space, agriculture, information technolo­gy, and manufacturing. Washington-based companies such as Boeing Commercial Aircraft, Microsoft, and Starbucks have been instrumental in driving this flow and expansion of commerce. Further, this exchange has helped to support American jobs with a growing number of exports leaving Seattle’s port for the Emirates – a transit point to significant Asian markets, including China and India; and Amer­ica’s top export market in the broader Mena region.

Boeing has played a key role in driving increased trade and investment between the US and the UAE in the aerospace sec­tor with the supply of commercial aircraft to major Emirati airlines and military air­craft to the UAE Air Force and Air De­fense – including Chinook and Apache helicopters and C-17 airlifters. This part­nership not only supports American jobs, but underscores the strategic and military relationship between our two countries.